


How to Carve a Pumpkin (Not Yourself)

by ThislassisHooked



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Captain Swan AU - Freeform, F/M, Fluff, Halloween, Pumpkin carving
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-09
Updated: 2018-11-09
Packaged: 2019-08-20 23:20:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16565039
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThislassisHooked/pseuds/ThislassisHooked
Summary: Emma had done some stupid things in her life, but cutting her hand because she couldn’t take her eyes off of the handsome Irish carving instructor was high on the list.





	How to Carve a Pumpkin (Not Yourself)

**Author's Note:**

> This was inspired by a prompt from @hollyethecurious on Tumblr. A sequel is in the works.

Emma slipped her arms through her jacket sleeves, flipping her hair out from under her collar. She tried to keep the sigh from her lips as her sister-in-law knocked on her door.  
“Just give it a chance, mom,” Henry encouraged from the couch, “you really need to improve your carving skills. It’s a little embarrassing to have a triangle eye and nose with crooked teeth pumpkin glowing on our front porch every year.”  
“Hey, it’s a classic. I recall you creating that same masterpiece not too long ago,” she quipped while ruffling his hair.  
“Yeah, like six years ago.”  
“Is your homework done?” He nodded. “You get another thirty minutes on the Xbox, then get yourself ready for bed.”  
“I got it mom, Mary-Margaret is waiting.”  
“Okay, kid, be good for Elsa.” She leaned in to place a kiss on the top of his head and hollered a quick goodbye to Elsa.  
“Have fun!” Elsa yelled back from the kitchen.  
Mary Margaret’s gleaming smile met her on the other side. “Are you ready?”  
“As ready as I’ll ever be for a pumpkin carving master class,” Emma replied sarcastically.  
“Just you wait. The instructor just moved to town and is a four time Master Pumpkin Carver,” she spoke as the bounced down the steps.  
“And that means… what exactly?”  
“Don’t you ever watch the Travel Channel?” Emma gave her a guilty shrug. “It means he’s the best in the country. Last year he won with one that perfectly resembled that rock troll leader.” Emma sighed in defeat. “Plus, he just bought and renovated that old used bookstore on Main that I know you loved as a kid.” That did spark some interest in Emma, but she sensed there was more. “And… he’s single,” she sing songed. There it was. The reason she’s learning how to carve a pumpkin at twenty eight years old. Mary Margaret wants to play matchmaker.  
“How on earth could you know that?” Emma asked while struggling to find her seatbelt buckle.  
“David’s been helping him with some of the restoration. He loves to get his hands dirty so he’s been going in after hours to help get the place ready to the grand re-opening.”  
“And does said master pumpkin carver have a name?”  
“Killian Jones. He’s originally from Ireland.”  
Fantastic, Mary Margaret wants to set her up with a good looking, (I assume he’s good looking), single, master pumpkin carver, hard working, Irishman. What could possibly go wrong?  
They arrived at Storybrooke High with only minutes to spare. Apparently Mr. Jones agreed to teach in one of the art rooms and he was doing it for scraps. A mere $10 fee to pay for your pumpkin and carving supplies. Just who was this guy?  
Emma and Mary Margaret settled on a set of desks near the back with Belle and Ariel joining them shortly thereafter. Emma was surprised to see August there, but if there was a potentially handsome, single man within a ten mile radius of their small town, August would be there. The man had been on more dates in the last year than Emma had in her life.  
“So what do you plan to carve?” Belle asked her after they had settled.  
“I don’t know, I just figured he’d give us an example and I’d copy that,” Emma answered with disinterest.  
“Oh, you were supposed to bring an image for inspiration, did I not mention that?” Mary Margaret asked innocently.  
Emma turned to her sneaky sister-in-law. “No, I believe that was not something you shared with me.”  
“Well, I wouldn’t worry, I’m sure Killian can help you with that.”  
At every desk, a pre-selected pumpkin had been placed. Emma studied hers, noticing how perfect the dimensions were. It was as if she had sat down at the only perfect pumpkin in the whole room. Belle’s had some weird warts, Ariel’s was flat in the front, Mary Margaret’s was too large, but Emma’s was… perfect. It didn’t seem fair since she had no intention of carving out any sort of masterpiece.  
“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen,” an accented voice said from the doorway. “I’ll be your host for the night, does everyone have a pumpkin?” A slew of yes’s answered the man who owned the not at all sexy voice of whom she had yet to see. “Excellent, I’m Killian Jones, lets get started with the basics, shall we?” Emma finally spotted the source of the accent and damn, if he wasn’t the epitome of tall, dark and handsome.  
“Isn’t he delicious?” Ariel whispered into Emma’s ear.  
“Airel,” Emma admonished, “you’re married!”  
“Very happily married, but it doesn’t mean I can’t acknowledge a hotty when I see ‘em,” she teased.  
“I have to agree with Ariel, that man is a ten on the hotness scale,” Belle added.  
Emma looked to Mary Margaret expecting her to reprimand their friends because if there was anyone on the planet that was more devoted to her husband than Ariel, it was Mary Margaret. But all she found was a slightly guilty grimace.  
“He is… pretty cute Emma.”  
Emma was stunned. Although she agreed with her friends that his dark, ruffled hair that swooped just above his ocean blue eyes and his days old scruff that peppered the lower half of his very handsome face gave him an above average grade in the “hotness scale” as Belle had put it, she was above superficially rating a person. He could turn out to be a total asshole.  
“You should all have the tools you’ll need for tonight,” he continued. “A carving knife and a large scoop. Be sure to cut a large enough hole around the stem or you’ll have a hell of a time scooping out the guts. Always remember to keep your knife at an inward angle so the top will have some support when you replace it.”  
That seemed simple enough. Emma got to work, every once in a while sneaking a peek at the admittedly handsome instructor as he circulated the room every so often when he took a break from his own carving up front.

__________

Killian had taught many carving classes over the years, but had recently grown weary of the menial job. There was more to his life than a silly tradition of carving a squash in the days leading up to Halloween. It didn’t mean he didn’t enjoy carving his own creation in the comfort of his home, but the “glamour” of being a carving master had spread like wildfire through the small New England town. He had inadvertently become a local celebrity.   
When Dave had asked him to host a class because his very sweet wife Mary Margaret had expressed interest, who also happens to be an excellent cook, he could not deny the woman her wishes. David’s help in restoring the old used book store had been pivotal in his dream of settling down in a cozy town by the sea and living as normal of a life as he could. Of course he had come to consider both David and Mary Margaret as dear friends. This class was purely a favor to his friend for all the free labor David had offered when he first found out that Killian had purchased the building. Apparently, the store had been a favorite of David’s sister when she was growing up and he wanted to help restore it to its former glory for her. Killian would have been a fool to refuse the help because David really knew what he was doing. The place was almost ready for its grand re-opening after only three months of back breaking work.  
Killian spotted the object of David’s affection not long into his first circulation and approached her with a wide, genuine grin. As he got closer, his eyes averted to the beautiful blonde beside her, clearly struggling with carving the top off her pumpkin. Her tongue stuck out on the side of her mouth to indicate she was concentrating very hard on the task.  
“Killian!” Mary Margaret squealed, using her hands to pull his full attention to them. He didn’t need Mary Margaret’s over exuberance to lead him in her direction. The gorgeous woman to her right was doing a fine job of it.  
“Good evening, Mary Margaret,” he greeted with a flourished bow and a side eye on her friend.  
“Oh,” Mary Margaret caught on very quickly, “this is Emma, David’s sister, well adopted sister, but that’s not really important,” Mary Margaret rushed.  
“It’s a pleasure to meet you Emma…” he knew she had a different last name than David, but wanted to hear it from her lips.  
“Swan,” she supplied briskly, not meeting his eyes.  
“Swan,” he replied in his most seductive voice. This apparently caused her to meet his gaze. He was instantly mesmerized by her emerald gems. There was something about Emma Swan that left him speechless, and according to everyone he had ever known, he was never for lack of words.  
She broke the trance as a pained cry left her mouth. He looked down only to realize that she had cut herself with the carving knife.

_________

Emma had done some stupid things in her life, but cutting her hand because she couldn’t take her eyes off of a relative stranger was high on the list. Her pumpkin was covered in blood and Mary Margaret had started to panic, but Killian flew into action. He grabbed a flask from his bag and raced back to her.  
“For some reason we don’t have a first aid kit in the classroom, but I’ve got the next best thing. Give me your hand love.”  
“It’s fine,” Emma protested.  
“No, it’s not, you’re hurt,” he stated with concern.  
Emma offered him her hand which she came to regret when he popped the top of his flask off with his teeth and poured it over her open wound.  
“Ah, ah, what the hell is that?” she yelped.  
“It’s rum, the closest thing we have to an antiseptic. The burning will settle soon enough,” he said with sincerity. “I don’t think you’ll need stitches, Emma, but for now we must stop the bleeding.” He then proceeded to unwrap his scarf from his neck and secure it around her hand instead. His left hand was covered in “pumpkin guts” as he had clarified, so he used his goddamn gorgeous mouth to secure the scarf in place, pulling it tight with his teeth and the whole time never taking his eyes off of hers. Emma was transfixed as he stared into her eyes longer than necessary. She only broke the trance once she realized that the whole class and her sister-in-law were silently watching them. It seemed to bring Kilian back to reality as well. He practically lept from her side and resumed his duties.   
It was only near the end of class the he approached her one last time. “How does the hand feel?”  
“It’s fine, doesn’t even throb. You can have your scarf back,” Emma offered with an outstretched hand.  
“You should probably keep it on for another few hours. What I really wanted to know is, what is your plan for your carving? Everyone else brought a picture of their ideal carving, but you seem to have none.”  
“That’s because I don’t,” she stated emphatically.  
He knelt down again so he was eye level with her. “What are you passionate about, Emma?”  
Emma was taken aback by his rather forward inquiry. She knew that he was only trying to help inspire a stupid idea for a stupid carving that she absolutely had no investment in, but something told her that it meant more. She closed her eyes and the only image that popped up in her head was Henry.  
“My son,” she answered with a smile.  
Killian nodded his head in understanding. “And what is your son passionate about?”  
Emma found her eyes had landed on his again. The sincerity in them burning into her very soul. She only had to think about her answer for a matter of seconds because her son was very transparent.  
“At the moment, dinosaurs,” she answered on a laugh. Killian laughed along with her.  
“That is very typical of an eight… ten year old?” Killian guessed.  
“Ten,” Emma affirmed.  
“Tomorrow night I will have what you need to create a dinosaur masterpiece that your boy will love.”  
Emma had no words. This man that she had just met expressed a sincere intention to please her son, a boy he had never met, a boy he owed nothing to.  
“Will you come by the bookstore tomorrow, love?” The endearment threw her off, but she quickly realized that it was probably a force of habit from growing up in Ireland. “I would like to discuss the details of your son’s passion.”  
“Henry,” she said, even surprising herself. She never talked about her son with men.  
“Alright then,” Killian said with an adorable lopsided smile, “Henry’s passion.”  
“I thought the bookstore wasn’t open yet,” she asked on a whisper.  
“For you, love, it is open anytime.” That statement had thrown Emma for a loop. He had said it with such yearning that her body shook, a sensation she hadn’t experienced in some time.  
“If I have the time, perhaps I’ll stop by,” she said nonchalantly. That, of course, caused a huge grin to break out across Killian’s face.  
“I look forward to it,” was the last thing he said to her before instructing the class to start cleaning up for the night.

Emma stood outside the little shop that she loved so much as a kid. She had debated going all day, but with Henry spending the evening at a friend’s house, she couldn’t think of any excuse not to show up. She knew he was there because the lights were on. The carving class didn’t start for another two hours so she steeled her nerves and knocked on the old fashioned french doors. They were newly painted and looked as good as she remembered.  
Her hand was now wrapped in an ace bandage and Killian’s scarf freshly washed. She had managed to get the bloodstain out, but was remiss to return it to him. She heard footsteps approaching and waited on bated breath as he unlocked and opened the door. He was just as gorgeous as she remembered, his dark hair slick from having been recently washed. His spicy scent assaulted her senses and for a moment, she was struck speechless. His face lit up when their eyes met and she was shaken by the desire to pull his lips to hers and find out if he tasted as good as he looked.  
“Swan, a pleasure, as always.”  
“As always? We’ve only just met,” she teased.  
“Aye, but I am sure that every time you grace my presence in the future will be a pleasure,” he said, taking her hand in his and placing a feather light kiss just above her knuckles. Emma’s breath was momentarily lost at the old fashioned gesture. “Please, come in. I have several ideas put together for Henry’s surprise pumpkin.” Her heart swelled at the thought that he had remembered her son’s name.  
Upon entering the old store she was overwhelmed by the smell of old books. The musky scent that comes from a well used book has always been a favorite of hers. He had even kept the name she always found cleaver. The Books of Yesterday. It was an appropriate name considering just about all of the inventory was older than her.  
“Would you like something to drink, love?” Emma couldn’t help blush at the familiar endearment.  
“Um, do you have any cocoa?”  
“Of course, with whipped cream and cinnamon, yes?” Emma’s mouth fell open. She was sure she never mentioned that to him before. “Your brother often spoke of you during the renovation and he mentioned that was your favorite beverage,” he clarified. He scratched a spot just behind his right ear, a gesture that she found adorable, then turned to retrieve said cocoa.  
Emma took the time to peruse the old shop. He and David had done wonders to bring the magic back to the place she had spent so many hours at as a lonely child. That was before David had discovered she was an orphan that had run away from her group home. Although the adoption was never made legal, Ruth Nolan considered Emma her daughter the moment David had finally convinced her to come home with him. He was already dating Mary Margaret at the time, apparently high school sweethearts, and she had gained a mother, brother and sister all in one night. It was the best decision she had ever made. Well, that and keeping Henry of course.  
Killian returned with two steaming mugs of cocoa topped with fluffy white cream and dusted with cinnamon. She smiled as she thanked him.  
“I have the carving examples in my office if you’d like to take a look at them,” he said bashfully.  
“Lead the way, master carver,” she quipped. As it turned out, he had printed at least twenty pictures of possible dinosaur carvings, many of them too intricate for her.  
“Do you happen to know what Henry’s favorite species is?” Emma thought back to the times he had convinced her to watch the Jurassic Park movies with him. He had always perked up when a raptor was on screen.  
“He loves the velociraptors as well as the t-rex, but the raptors are his favorite for sure.”  
Killian picked out a very difficult carving that almost looked like the raptor’s head was jumping right out of the pumpkin. “I’m afraid this is the only example I could find that resembled a raptor.”  
“Yeah, that’s not gonna happen. I could hardly finger paint as a kid. Not the artistic type, but I think I could handle the t-rex. The one from the Jurassic Park logo doesn’t look too difficult and it is Henry’s favorite movie.”  
He pulled the picture from the pile and handed it to her. “And I will be there every step of the way to help you create a masterpiece for your son,” he spoke reverently.

__________

Killian bid Emma farewell after giving her a few books to read that she was interested in. He wasn’t running a library, but couldn’t find it in himself to charge her for them. She had refused at first, but he had managed to convince her with the knowledge that he was certain she would return them in good condition and still very much sellable. He didn’t buy the bookstore to make a profit. He had already done that with his previous job as a stockbroker in London. He had told Emma that after his brother perished in a naval exercise gone wrong, he packed up what little he owned, entrusted his clients with his best friend and coworker Robin and left for America with no plan.

Emma was doing a fantastic job with her carving the next night. She needed help with getting the teeth just right since they were so many of them. Every time he would lean over her to give her instruction he would breath in her lovely scent. She smelled of apples and cinnamon and it was a scrumptious combination. He was remiss to bid her farewell at the end of the night. Tomorrow was Halloween and everyone would light up their creations. Mary Margaret had done a fine job of carving her princess design as well.  
“So what are your plans for tomorrow night, love? Trick or treating with your boy?”  
“Yeah, just as soon as I finish my shift. Henry is very excited to see my jack-o-lantern. Thank you Killian, for helping me put a smile on his face.”  
“And what is young master Henry dressing as for the evening?”  
“A pirate. He’s very excited about it.”  
Killian beamed at the new information. He and his brother grew up pretending to be pirates as well. They would have sword fights with sticks in the front yard of the orphanage they grew up in. They even went so far as to purchase a sailboat together when it became financially possible.  
“And you, Swan? What will you be dressing as?”  
“Oh, I won’t be dressing up,” she laughed.  
“That’s unfortunate, because I believe you would make a lovely princess.” She blushed at his praise. It was the most beautiful thing.  
Emma finished her dinosaur and it was almost a perfect match to the picture he had given her. He was bursting with pride for her.  
“Well, thank you again for everything, Killian. Perhaps I’ll see you around?”  
“I certainly hope so, love. You do need to return those books that I lent you eventually. But I do hope you’ll visit me at the shop before you finish them,” he said in a pleading tone. She gave him a shy smile, the blush returning.  
“Goodnight, Killian,” she said picking up her pumpkin.  
“Goodnight, love.” He watched her walk out the door with Mary Margaret, the brunette looking over her shoulder to flash him a conspiratorial smile. He returned it eagerly. He had a lot of work ahead of him tonight to finish his plan.

David had informed him that Emma would be finished at the station by six and picking Henry up from Elsa’s. That meant that he had until 6:15 to get everything set up. Thankfully he had David and Mary Margaret to assist him with his task. Emma’s jack-o-lantern was already out on her front porch. The sun had set by the time his surprise was complete.

__________

Emma and Henry turned the corner that led to their home and she gasped at the sight before her. She parked the car and they both rushed to get out to investigate the glowing creations. Henry was darting between each jack-o-lantern, bouncing on his feet as he observed each one. There were nine in all, each one with a carving of a different dinosaur. In the middle of the pack was the very raptor that Emma had deemed impossible for her. Henry stared at it in wonder, pointing out every detail to his mother.  
“Mom, this is so cool! How did you do it?” he asked excitedly.  
“I… didn’t.” She knew there was only one explanation and she actually teared up at the thought of him putting so much work into bringing her son such joy. Just then she watched as Killian, Mary Margaret and David approached them. He was dressed as a sexy version of Captain Hook. All black leather and a smattering of chest hair peeking out of his v-neck shirt and vest.  
“Wow!” Henry exclaimed. “Mom, look at his costume.” Oh, she was looking alright. Probably more like leering. Henry ran up to them, nearly knocking Killian to the ground as he wrapped his hands around him in a hug. Killian returned the gesture. “Thanks for the pumpkins, Mr. Jones” He then went on to ask him questions about his costume. Emma was dumbfounded at the instant connection they seemed to share.  
“Do you like it, Emma?” he asked with an almost nervous smile.  
“Like it, no. Love it, absolutely.”  
“Emma, I was hoping we could take Henry trick or treating with Leo. Perhaps give you two a little time alone?” Mary Margaret asked with a knowing smile. Emma agreed while gazing into Killian’s hopeful eyes. She had known this man for all of two days yet he had managed to worm his way into her heart.  
After bidding the group farewell, she turned to the pirate who was grinning like a loon. She knew just what to do with that grin. Emma closed the gap between them by pulling him in for a searing kiss. He was stunned for about a half a second before returning the kiss with the same fervor. His lips were soft and rough at the same time. She licked along the seam of his delicious lips and he opened for her, groaning as he did. Emma let out a moan of her own at the taste of him. Their tongues tangled as they explored each other’s mouths. Her hands grasped the back of his head just as his ran through her hair. She knew they needed to come up for oxygen soon or they wouldn’t make it inside. She pulled away slightly as Killian chased her lips. She leaned her forehead against his, both of them breathing heavily from the impassioned embrace.  
“Would you like to come in for cocoa?” she asked him once she had found her voice.  
“Very much,” he answered breathlessly. “Will you go out with me Friday night? Dave offered to take Henry for the evening.”   
She raised her eyes to his again. His face had grown soft and hopeful. Her answer came in the form of another kiss, this time slow and sweet.  
They spent the rest of the evening talking by the fireplace, cocoa in hand. She enjoyed getting to know Killian Jones, master pumpkin carver and owner of her favorite book store.


End file.
